Seoul Highlights Full-Day Tour with War Memorial & Jogyesa Temple

Gyeongbokgung Palace and the royal guard ceremony

Gyeongbokgung was built in 1395 as the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty and is the largest of Seoul's five grand palaces. Burned in the 16th century and rebuilt in the 1860s, it spreads across a vast compound of gates, courtyards and halls set against the rocky peak of Bugaksan. Highlights include the Geunjeongjeon throne hall and the Gyeonghoeru pavilion standing over a lotus pond.

Your visit begins with the royal guard changing ceremony at Gwanghwamun gate, where guards in bright Joseon-era uniforms parade with flags and drums. Then your guide leads you through the main courtyards and explains palace life and architecture. Many travellers ask about Gyeongbokgung opening hours: the palace opens daily except Tuesday, so check your confirmation if you travel on a Tuesday.

Bukchon Hanok Village or Namsangol Hanok Village

On the default small-group option you walk through Bukchon Hanok Village, a hillside neighbourhood between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung palaces where hundreds of traditional hanok houses still stand. Built with wood, stone and clay and warmed by the underfloor ondol heating system, they line narrow lanes with views of the modern city beyond. Residents still live here, so visits are quiet and limited to daytime hours.

The other group option visits Namsangol Hanok Village at the foot of Namsan instead, where five restored Joseon-era houses, a pavilion and a pond make an open-air museum of traditional life. It also holds a time capsule buried in 1994 to mark Seoul's 600th anniversary. Both are excellent places to understand traditional Korean houses and to take photos.

Bugak Palgakjeong pavilion and Korean ginseng

Bugak Palgakjeong is an octagonal pavilion high on the slopes of Bugaksan, reached by a winding scenic road north of the palace. From its terraces you look over the rooftops of Seoul, the ridges of Bukhansan and Namsan with its tower, one of the best free viewpoints in the city. It is a quiet place, especially in autumn when the slopes turn red and gold.

The tour also includes a stop to learn about Korean ginseng, a root valued for centuries in East Asian medicine and among the best-known products of Korea. You see how it is grown and processed, and products are available for those interested; buying is entirely up to you.

Gwangjang Market

Lunch is at your own expense in Gwangjang Market, which opened in 1905 and is one of the oldest and largest traditional markets in Korea. Its central food alley is famous for crispy mung bean pancakes called bindaetteok, bite-sized rice rolls known as mayak gimbap, hand-cut noodle soup and countless other Korean street dishes cooked in front of you.

Upstairs and in the side halls, traders sell silk, bedding and fabrics for hanbok, a reminder that this was first a textile market. Your guide suggests what to try and how to order, then you have free time to eat at the busy counters. Gwangjang Market is one of the best places in Seoul to taste everyday Korean food.

War Memorial of Korea

The War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan opened in 1994 and is one of the largest museums of its kind in the world. Its galleries tell the story of conflict on the Korean peninsula from ancient times to the Korean War of 1950–1953, with models, documents and personal stories that bring the history to life, alongside a message of peace and hope for reunification.

Outside, a large open-air exhibition displays aircraft, tanks, artillery and ships from the 20th century, and the Statue of Brothers depicts two soldiers from the two sides embracing. Your guide gives context to the exhibits during around an hour of visiting, one of the most moving stops of the day.

Jogyesa Temple, Tapgol Park and Myeongdong Cathedral

Jogyesa is the chief temple of the Jogye Order, the largest school of Korean Buddhism, set in the heart of the city near Insadong. Its grand main hall, built in 1938, is surrounded by colourful lanterns, and two venerable trees, a lacebark pine and a scholar tree around five centuries old, shade the courtyard. In spring the lantern displays for Buddha's Birthday fill the grounds.

Nearby Tapgol Park is where the Korean declaration of independence was read aloud on 1 March 1919, and it keeps a ten-storey marble pagoda from the 15th century under a glass shelter. The tour ends at Myeongdong Cathedral, a Gothic brick church completed in 1898, close to the shops and street food of Myeong-dong.